Wellington, April 21 (IANS): New Zealand troops left for Australia on Tuesday before going to Iraq to help in the fight against Islamic State (IS) insurgents.

The first stage of their deployment will see the troops land in Australia before leaving for the Middle East, Stuff online reported.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said the troops were given a send off by Governor General Jerry Mateparae.

NZDF defended its decision not to announce the deployment in advance, stating that it was for security reasons. It would not supply details in advance of their onward deployment to the Middle East.

The New Zealand government announced in February that it was deploying 143 troops to Iraq on a joint mission with Australian troops.

Based at Camp Taji near Baghdad, the force will comprise 16 staff to train up local soldiers, and a mix of logistic, security and other personnel. They will be deployed for a two year period, with a review to be conducted after nine months.